


picking up the pieces

by atonalremix



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 09:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6000229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atonalremix/pseuds/atonalremix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night before Jeremy leaves for college, he fears he'll lose the friendship he has with Tyler - and learns that he had nothing to worry about in the first place. (S5 AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	picking up the pieces

For the past two weeks, Jeremy had mentally replayed his last conversation with Bonnie, over and over and over, until his heart couldn't take any more. How many people would he lose before his life ended (again)? How many would slip between his fingers before he had to acknowledge how broken - how empty - he felt inside? His college essays on picking up the pieces must've had some kind of impact, because every college had accepted him with distinction.

The University of Virginia had given him a full merit scholarship- tuition, room & board, and even a stipend of some kind. It was no Whitmore, but as an orphan with no surviving relatives in the US, Jeremy figured his parents' memories would understand. The interview, back in November, had been nerve-wracking enough, with his move from the Salvatore Manor into the Lockwood Estate occurring the same week. Jeremy remembered rushing into the coffee shop with the largest, fakest smile he could muster.

Mr. Sulez - the interviewer and the owner of Mystic Falls' only bookstore - had regarded him with something akin to pity and sympathy, before he had reached over and squeezed Jeremy's hand. "You alright?"

Jeremy should have said no. He should've said that Elena had lost her mind, that he had spent the past five months in the company of his worst nightmare (and his sister's toxic, toxic boyfriend), and that he needed to escape. Yet, he found himself saying, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I just finished moving into my friend's place."

That stupid, pitying look washed over Mr. Sulez's face. "Right, after your house burned down last spring..." Without further hesitation, he launched into the rest of the interview.

Alaric had once said that supernatural creatures - vampires, werewolves, things that went bump in the night - were the worst enemies a guy could face. Between college applications and the loss of his girlfriend, Jeremy wondered if Alaric had lied. Right now, paying for his lifestyle was the biggest hurdle. Dad and Mom had left some money in his savings account - they'd saved and saved every year, because Mystic Falls wasn't the most expensive town to live in - but even that couldn't cover all four years. Hunting vampires - killing them in cold blood - was far easier than writing essays for the Common App and wondering if this college would like him enough to fund his education. Dealing with Elena's doppelgangers was easier than securing a part-time job, and analyzing old town maps was easier than paying off old loans that his parents' life insurance hadn't covered. While he had been fortunate enough to land a merit scholarship, he knew others that had been far less lucky.

The night before he left, Tyler and Matt treated him to a farewell dinner, with bottles of booze stolen from the Grille, cupcakes from Elena, and a cake that Caroline had baked. The girls were out of town for the weekend, so they'd sent their love through baked goods. As Tyler sliced the cake (a red velvet one, with _Congratulations Jeremy!!_ scrawled in neat cream-cheese icing) for them, Jeremy couldn't help musing about how drastically his life had changed.

If someone had told Jeremy a few years ago that Tyler Lockwood - the jerk jock who had fought him multiple times - would become his closest confidante and roommate, Jeremy would have laughed in their face. Tyler wasn't supposed to have wormed his way into Jeremy's heart; Tyler wasn't supposed to remember the little details; and Tyler especially wasn't supposed to waste his money on art supplies, because he'd even bought Jeremy a new sketchbook and Prismacolors.

"Here. The man of the hour deserves it first, right?" Tyler had said, handing over Jeremy a plate as he sliced two more pieces. 

"I guess." Jeremy fidgeted in his seat, avoiding Tyler's watchful gaze as he plowed straight into that cake. Mm, it tasted way better than what he remembered of Caroline's cooking (which, honestly, wasn't much).

Matt shot them both a knowing look, before he rose to his feet and announced, "I'm gonna grab more booze. I swear, you two... we must've cleaned out half our stock in an hour alone."

"Just means we know how to party," Tyler called, raising a hand for a failed hi-five as Matt brushed past him with a snort. When that effort failed, Tyler turned to Jeremy. "You got everything you need for tomorrow? Matt and I're heading straight to Whitmore once we've got you settled in."

Whitmore, hilariously enough, was closer to University of Virginia than it was to Mystic Falls. Jeremy suspected this was a minor curse, considering how many hours he had spent at Whitmore, learning all of Bonnie's haunts and acquainting himself with the library (and the archery club, because he could). A fresh start wasn't supposed to invoke the past or drudge up memories he'd like to forget. Jeremy pulled out the checklist he'd prepared - well, that Elena had prepared in one of her more-aware states - and scanned it again. Tyler peered over his shoulder, nodding as Jeremy ticked off each item, right up until...

"You don't want a family photo?" Tyler tapped the list. "We could head to the Lakehouse and see what's left." 

(Honestly? Jeremy had forgotten that he owned the place, considering Elena had long since left town and every other family member was dead.)

"Nah. I think I'll be fine." He had a picture of his new family, one with him, April, Tyler, and Matt, as if they were normal teenagers rather than ones burdened with the supernatural. To reassure Tyler, Jeremy even managed a real smile this time, once he'd finished off his slice. "See?"

"Uh-huh." Tyler's pout would've been cute, had his entire face not been smudged with cream cheese icing. "You say that every time, man."

Jeremy leaned in, ostensibly to wipe it from his roommate's face. Only mere inches separated them. Jeremy could even smell the cream cheese on Tyler's breath, just as he heard his roommate's heart rate spike as the distance between them grew shorter and shorter. Normally, Jeremy wouldn't have cared about invading Tyler's personal space. For God's sake, they were roommates! Jeremy was more than used to the girls that Matt dated, and he was sure used to the werewolves that Tyler had befriended in Tennessee (whenever they came up for visits). Wiping icing off Tyler's face shouldn't have prompted this reaction.

"Maybe by the fifth time I say it, you'll actually believe it," Jeremy retorted, gauging Tyler for a reaction.

"Or maybe you're just convincing yourself you'll be fine." Tyler's gaze dropped straight down to Jeremy's lips. Wait, was there icing all over Jeremy's face too? Not cool, Caroline! "It's okay if you're not. I know Caroline wasn't, the night before she left for college."

He had purposefully omitted Bonnie - and for good reason too, because Jeremy remembered her painful summer on the Other Side. Bonnie should've been the one to see life through, not him. Jeremy should've stayed on the Other Side, awaiting its bleak demise with open arms. Yet, Matt had once warned him, wallowing in pity was the exact opposite of what Bonnie would've wanted. Bonnie would've been alright with him moving forward, just as she would've been alright with him moving on.

Almost inaudibly, Jeremy said, "What would you say, if I told you I wasn't? I've lost so many people, Ty. So many, and if I go tomorrow, I'll lose you--"

Tyler pressed his lips against Jeremy's. Jeremy froze, inhaling Tyler's musky cologne and earth and a hint of the barbecue dinner they'd cooked earlier that evening. They were so, so drunk - they had to be, to consider kisses at this hour - and yet, Jeremy scooted onto Tyler's lap and wrapped his arms around his roommate's neck as he returned that kiss.

Tyler reluctantly let go after a few seconds, his eyes filled with worry. "You won't lose me."

"I'd sure hope not, after a kiss like that." Jeremy laughed, ducking to avoid Tyler's hand. "Does this, like... make us gay or something?" 

What exactly did it make them? Besides drunken make-out buddies? (Thank god no one else was around to witness this.)

Furrowing his brow, Tyler said, "Maybe if we don't tell Matt."

"You don't have to. I kinda had front-row tickets," Matt's voice called, as he emerged from the Lockwood pantry with two unopened bottles of wine. There was even a twinkle in his eye as he set it down between them.

Jeremy yelped, jumping to his feet and standing as far away from Tyler as possible. 

Matt reached for Jeremy, slinging an arm around Jeremy's shoulders. "Dude, you don't have to hide it from me anymore. I know you like Tyler."

Tyler gaped at him. "Well, _I_ didn't."

"That makes two of us..." Jeremy murmured, counting on his fingers as he tried to recall an instance - any instance, really - where Tyler might've seemed homosexual. Nothing came to mind. Sure, they'd shared clothes, cooked together, and even shared a blanket as they watched TV together, but roommates - close ones - were entitled to bonding activities. Those weren't limited to the romantic!

Matt blinked back surprise. "Huh. I figured, with a kiss like that, you two had been secretly dating for a while."

"Maybe we should be dating, if Loser Face over here learns how to kiss better," Tyler teased, with a slight eyeroll as he handed Matt a piece of cake.

Jeremy scowled. "Like Wolfboy can judge, with that kind of sloppiness."

"Oh, you wanna bet?" Tyler approached Jeremy, leaning against the wall as he stood mere inches apart from him. "You really wanna bet?"

Jeremy kissed him - carefully this time, now that he knew Matt was watching - only to let go and say, "Nah. I think I'll bet on your breath instead."

Matt couldn't hold his laughter in any longer. "Man, when Stefan and I bet on two of our friends dating, this wasn't the combination that came up. I think we once thought about you and Bonnie..."

Stefan bet on these things? With actual money? Their lives had started to resemble a soap opera - a supernatural one - with how chaotic everything had gotten, and yet... Jeremy's heart had ached less at the mention of her name.

"I don't know about _dating_ ," Jeremy found himself saying.

Tyler gave him a thoughtful look. "Whitmore's only, what, 45 minutes from UVA? That's a doable relationship."

"You actually want to?" Jeremy had to get himself another slice of cake, just to distract him from the gravity of Tyler's words. There was no feasible way that Tyler would want to date him - come on, Tyler might've been held back a year in college, but there were other girls in the sea! Other girls that weren't him! "But we're both starting college, and we'll be busy, and--"

Tyler and Matt exchanged knowing smiles, before Tyler nodded at him. "Why not?"

Jeremy could recite them from memory. Firstly, what the hell would their friends say? Sure, Matt had encouraged them, because he had seen it coming long before either of them did... but what about everyone else? Caroline? Stefan? Elena? Especially Elena, because she was just about the only family Jeremy had left in this world. Secondly, it wasn't as if everyone openly accepted gay couples; they'd have to fight if they ever wanted to marry. The mental list just scrolled further and further in Jeremy's head, until--

"Okay," Jeremy said, before his brain knew exactly what his mouth was saying. "We can try it."

"About damn time," Matt said, in-between bites of cake. Not even a glare from Jeremy bothered Matt; that guy just plowed into his red velvet cake, enjoying every single bite as if it were a piece of heaven. "What? If I saw it coming, it was pretty damn obvious."

 

 

That night, for the first time since Bonnie disappeared with the Other Side, Jeremy didn't replay their conversation. He didn't dream about losing her to a blank void, nor did he see her shadow loom over him as Tyler and Matt drove him to his dorm. He still wore her favorite necklace underneath his clothes, just as he'd kept her photo prominently on his desk. Except this time, he had also inset a picture of Tyler beside her.

Of course, Jeremy's poor roommate had been traumatized upon witnessing Tyler kiss Jeremy good-bye, even stuttering, "S-shit, I didn't realize my roommate was gay."

"Not gay, bisexual," Tyler had cheerfully said, kissing Jeremy again on the forehead for good measure. "There's a difference."

Sure, a lot of people had slipped through his fingers over the years, but Jeremy had a feeling that Tyler wasn't going to be one of them - not by a long shot.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Sept 26, 2014, with minor revisions made since then. This is mostly a mirror of the version at FF.net, but I'll admit, with the way S6 ended, this might as well be on the road to being canon again...


End file.
